


Victory by Proxy

by gAAmAtsU16



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Oikawa Tooru's Knee Injury, Protective Iwaizumi Hajime, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 11:20:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16639001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gAAmAtsU16/pseuds/gAAmAtsU16
Summary: It was the worst feeling ever. And it wasn’t even their win.He felt angry. Guilty. Hurt. Oikawa's only comfort was the man hugging him from behind, letting him know he wasn’t feeling all these shit alone.





	Victory by Proxy

Oikawa saw the ball and it was like magnet.

He gravitated towards it, pulled by an unspeakable force that propelled his body in a desperate effort to catch it.

Karasuno was at match point. This was the third set of their game. And the ball had been spiked too close to the side, falling outside the court, out of reach from anyone on their team. Anyone but Oikawa.

He reacts. He points at Iwaizumi way off to his left, a silent message being delivered. In a mix of instinct and reaction time honed through continuous experiences and late-night practices, Oikawa leaped, willing his hand, any flesh of his body to connect, connect, connect—

The ball hits, not the floor, but his palms, splayed outward in an action to catch it. With tremendous arm power, he sets it back inside, long and hard, towards their ace who was already in mid-air in spike motion, his message expectantly received.

 _Of course it’ll be_ , Oikawa thought smugly, It’s Iwa-chan after all.

Oikawa falls, crashes into the benches and skids halfway to the floor. He grunted in pain as pain flared like ice water that creeps up his spine and lower extremities.

There was a chorus of yells and the referee’s piercing whistle. Someone had scored. Was it them? Was it Karasuno? The blackness prevented him from knowing and it took a while before Oikawa realized he had his eyes shut.

Above the chaos, he hears Iwaizumi’s triumphant screech, and Maki’s and Mattsun’s. He hears Sawamura’s gentle encouragement and he understood then.

It was them.

The point was Aoba Johsai’s.

Another whistle.

_What? What happened now? Was the score overruled? Did it hit the line a little bit? Was it Karasuno’s point after all?_

Oikawa’s mind was a jumble of frantic thoughts that he didn’t hear the abrupt and surprised cries of his name nor see the horrified glances courtesy of his team sent his way.

“Oikawa!” Iwa-chan’s voice. Then a hand on his shoulder. He opens his eyes and shuts them again, momentarily being blinded by the light. “Oikawa, shit, are you okay?”

It was a cacophony of his name being called, jarring his mind and he wanted it to stop.

More bodies closing in and he could hear their coach’s stern voice rising above the others. “Get out of the way. Send me some medics.”

Oikawa shifts his position and feels the familiar pang of ache reverberating off his leg and he curls in unconsciously, clutching at it and hissing.

“Oikawa, is it your knee?” Iwaizumi’s voice was a pitch higher than his usual baritone.

“Straighten him up. Place something behind his head.” Mizoguchi instructs, kneeling beside the lying captain just as a pair of medics jogged towards them.

Iwaizumi’s hand serves as makeshift pillow while Hanamaki and Matsukawa unfold his legs.

Oikawa grunts loudly, as the movement elicits another wave of pain.

Maki and Mattsun retrieve their hands, eyes widening in alarm. “I’m so sorry.” Hanamaki says.

Oikawa wanted to assure him it’s not his fault but words failed him, replaced by small whimpers and soft moans.

“Looks like Oikawa got hurt.” Daichi says, noticing the obvious distress emitting from the other side of the court.

“Well, that was a ridiculously long shot he did. Amazing but ridiculous.” Tanaka has less of the usual bite in his tone reserved for the pompous captain of Seijo.

Karasuno stood in silence, observing the situation with tense shoulders and quiet concerns. Ukai pacified the media on Seijo’s behalf and Takeda had sent Shimizu for more help.

“Will the Grand King be all right?” Hinata asks.

"Let’s hope for the best.” Daichi answers.

Hinata spares a glance at their setter.

Kageyama’s eyes were glued on the happenings on the other side of the net. His shoulders were very stiff.

“We need to find where the pain is coming from. Okay, Toru-kun? You with me?” the woman medic asked gently.

Oikawa nodded, had closed his eyes once more to bar off the penetrating gazes fixed his way; from his team, from Karasuno, from the audience. He commanded attention and frolicked in it but he disliked this kind of watchfulness, where all that was missing was a megaphone that would make the criticisms and opinions audible.

The medic pressed on Oikawa’s joint and although it tingled and he winced, it was tolerable. Then she pulled his leg. “Aah!” He yelped involuntarily. Black spots danced his vision. His consciousness swam. Fuck that hurt, Oikawa gritted his teeth.

The gym suddenly felt oppressive; all eyes were on him, scrutinizing, criticizing, concerned and his confidence wavered. He didn’t want to be seen at this state—hurting and whimpering.

Iwaizumi must’ve sensed his discomfort as he tightened his hold on his shoulders and rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“Must be a torn ligament or a pulled muscle. It’s subcutaneous as it’s painful when moved. There’s also superficial bruising from crashing against the benches.” The medic reports to Mizoguchi. “This is beyond what I’m capable of doing. If it’s an internal injury, my expertise is at its limit.”

“No,” Oikawa blurted out, earning their undivided attention. He sat up, grimacing when the act jostled his leg. “No, you can’t take me out. I can still play.”

“Oikawa…” Iwaizumi’s voice was a low growl like a warning.

“That’s not for you to decide.” The coach answered firmly. His eyebrows were knitted in anguish and disappointment. “You’re injured. You’re in no shape to continue playing further in this match. We still don’t know the extent of your injury and if it’ll have severe repercussions.”

 _Nononononononono_ , Oikawa felt the floor opening its maw and swallowing him down into deep, deep darkness.

“Toru…” The name was like a tug. He raises misty eyes to Iwaizumi who mirrored the devastation he’s preventing to spill from his image. “It’s okay, Toru. The match…you’re more important than the match.”

Oikawa feels his words hit him surprisingly hard. “But, Iwa-chan—“

“It’ll be fine. You’re gonna be fine. We’ll take care of things here. You can trust us, yeah? So, Toru, you let yourself be looked at and make sure it’s not gonna get worse.” Iwaizumi says without pause and Oikawa marvelled at how confident, how sure he sounded. It was almost enough to sway him.

Except of course, Oikawa wasn’t an idiot. He knows, if he leaves this late at the game it’s gonna hurt the team pretty bad. He was their conductor, the one that guides and directs their course of action and without him everything would fall in disarray.

“H-Hajime…” the tears, oh god the tears, they were leaking. Iwaizumi pulls him to his chest, a hand over his head, covering him from the predatory gazes and granting him privacy to allow the sadness to spill through his sockets.

Oikawa wanted to thank him. Even how shitty the situation’s gotten, his Iwa-chan always gave him what he needed.

“Coach…” Iwaizumi starts.

“I understand.” Mizoguchi says to the rest of Aoba Johsai’s players. “Get to the side. We have ten minutes before the match restarts. Let’s talk strategy.”

They shuffle almost hesitantly. They give Oikawa individual words of encouragement and soon the only ones left on the side of the net were Oikawa, Iwaizumi and the medics.

“Hajime…it hurts…” Oikawa finally says.

Iwaizumi’s grip relaxed and he could sense the small smile on his lips. “I know. But you’ll be okay. Toru? You’ll be okay.” He nods at the medics then who shuffled to pry Oikawa off his best friend. Oikawa didn’t let go and Iwaizumi motioned to help in escorting his friend out. He snakes a hand on Oikawa’s torso and grips his arm that was slung over his shoulder. He fell at a pace that was not too rushed for Oikawa as each step seemed to hurt him further, what with the lip biting and closed eyes.

The audience gives them a resounding standing ovation and Iwaizumi would’ve grinned at the support they were giving the captain except Oikawa was too wallowed in his helplessness and internal pain.

They reach the edge of the gym where a stretcher was waiting. Karasuno’s female manager was standing with the medical crew as they arrive.

“The staff has requested Toru-kun be taken to the hospital instead for further examination. They’ll know what to give him there.” The megane explains as Iwaizumi lays Oikawa down.

"That’ll be great. Thank you…?”

“It’s Kiyoko.”

“…Kiyoko-chan. Thank you.” Iwaizumi then looks down at the brown-haired who hadn’t uttered a single word. “Toru?”

This earns him twin pools of hazel to gaze up at him. Abandoning words, Iwaizumi leans to place a chaste kiss on Oikawa’s forehead. The medical team squawks but he didn’t give a shit what they thought. “Take care, okay?”

It was a full minute before Oikawa’s lips curve. “You too, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi lingers with Kiyoko as they watch Oikawa disappear into the ambulance and he still stays until the sirens fade into the busy streets.

"You should go back to your team, Kiyoko-chan.”

“Iwaizumi-kun?”

He gives her a determined look. “We still have a game to finish, after all.”

* * *

 

It was the worse feeling ever. And it wasn’t even their win.

He felt angry. Guilty. Hurt. Oikawa's only comfort was the man hugging him from behind, letting him know he wasn’t feeling all these shit alone.

“Iwa-chan, how long are you going to hug me like this?” The weight was starting to get heavy but Oikawa seemed content with the position despite his complaint.

“Shut up, Trashykawa.” Iwaizumi buries his face on Oikawa’s shoulder, not looking up.

“Iwa-chan…”

“Shut Up.”

“Hajime.” The body stills. “Look at me.” The wing spiker finally detaches himself from Oikawa’s shoulder. The sight of Iwaizumi in tears was always daggers in his heart. He shifts so he could face him and gasps softly.

“Toru, don’t move—“

Fingers rest on his lips, silencing him. Oikawa traces the tear tracks with his lips, kissing Iwaizumi’s eyes then cheeks then lips. “Hajime, it wasn’t your fault. It’s none of the team’s fault. We were good, very good. Karasuno was just…better.” He hated how he had to admit that. It was excruciatingly agonizing to be defeated by that team. It was like a bad pill he couldn’t swallow.

“I’m sorry, Toru. I said some pretty bold words only for us to lose when we’re this close to Nationals. I’m so sorry.” Iwaizumi clenches his teeth and balls his fists.

Oikawa tugs at them, opening them to interlace their fingers. He touches their foreheads as tears fall from him too. “Sssh, it’s all right, Iwa-chan. It won’t stop hurting, probably will never do. But what’s done is done. So, stop beating yourself up with it. You should give yourself some credit too. It was amazing you managed to catch that long serve.”

“Only because you were serving that. I promised to catch all your tosses, didn’t I?” Iwaizumi palms the hand on his face.

“Yes, you did.” Their breaths tickle each other’s noses.

“Will you be okay, now?”

“I’ll live.” Oikawa has torn his ACL. It would take weeks to heal and he’d sign up for therapies to make recovery faster. “Besides, I need to watch Karasuno’s match against Shiratorizawa.”

That surprised Iwaizumi. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with them after this.”

“I don’t. Just that I want to see Tobio or Ushijima’s faces when one loses to the other. It’s small consolation for everything else.”

Iwaizumi laughs, hands sliding down Oikawa’s waist and lips barely touching. “You really are a crappy person.”

Oikawa smiles, fisting Iwaizumi’s shirt as he pulls him closer. “It’s one of my fancy assets.”

Karasuno won.

Aoba Johsai lost.

Victory by proxy.

But as the captain and ace of Seijo sat on the same bed, sharing kisses and hands roaming over each other, it seemed some slight victory found its way to them.

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned I'm a sucker for sports injuries yeah? Cool.  
> I'm a sadist for Oikawa getting hurt and Iwa going nurse mode ^3^


End file.
